December 8th Recap

On Saturday, we took over Bridges in beautiful downtown Memphis for our last show of the season.



Obviously, one of the main draws was the amazing climbing wall. It is extremely challenging and super fun for all ages.



There was a steady stream of people going up and down the wall all afternoon.



We were also super excited to have the Bluff City Brewers and Connoisseurs in the mix. Their members brewed nine different beers for us to try. Very cool to have some high-quality homebrew to try. They were all delicious!



Don't worry, we made sure no one climbed the wall after partaking in the beer.

First act up was Chad Nixon. Lots of you folks may have heard Chad sing solo acoustic, but this was with a band. Chad has a great voice, and his music sits really well in a band context.



The kids loved him...at least this guy did!



And it appeared the music was also appealing to the soon-to-be-born!



We had tons of great food at the show thanks to Central BBQ, Whole Foods, the Trolley Stop Market, and Tom's Tiny Kitchen. Don't be surprised to see BBQ and pimento cheese popping up on local menus. It's delicious. (Sorry, cole slaw, but your days are numbered!)



Our second band was super buzzed about Dead Soldiers, who apparently started off as a punk band. Now they broadcast a catchy brand of roots rock fury...



This was musical chameleon Paul Taylor's second showing at Rock-n-Romp this year.



Oh, and those of you looking for the perfect gift for new parents...baby headphones seem to be all of the rage.




Our final musician was Kris Acklen, who wowed everyone with smooth and intelligent pop. Good pipes on this guy too.




All in all it was a great afternoon of music and good times. We want to give Bridges a hearty thanks for not only having us, but taking such good care of us.

To view the full set of photos by Chip Chockley, click here. To add yours to the Flickr pool, click here.

Thanks to everybody for making this season our best yet! Mark your calendars for our first show of 2013. We'll be at Mud Island April 13th from 2-5pm!

December 8th Rock-n-Romp at Bridges, Inc. from 2-5pm

Join us on December 8th at Bridges, Inc. for the last Rock-n-Romp of the year! Bridges is located at 477 N. 5th Street and is easily accessible from North Parkway. Parking is available on the roof. Please enter through the front door.

Chad Nixon, Dead Soldiers, and Kris Acklen will be playing. The Bluff City Brewers will be on hand to serve their amazing homebrew! We'll have the usual Central Barbeque awesomeness as well as healthy snacks from Whole Foods. As an added treat Tom's Tiny Kitchen is providing copious amounts of pimento cheese and the Trolley Stop Market is sending pizzas! We ask each adult to donate $5 at the door to cover our costs. Feel free to bring a blanket or chair and a snack to share. Adults must be accompanied by children.

Bridges will have the climbing wall open, but there is a $5 charge per climb or $10 kids/$15 adults unlimited climbing. Adults will not be allowed to climb if they have been drinking beer, so plan accordingly. Everyone who wishes to climb will also need to sign a waiver. It can be done onsite or online: http://bridgesusanew.sitewrench.com/teambridgeswaiver.

Give the gift of Rock-n-Romp! Tell a friend about the show!

Behind the Curtain

Hello friends, I thought I would share some behind the scenes information with you so that you might better understand how Rock-n-Romp works. First of all, we are a registered non-profit with the State of Tennessee. All of the money that we take in goes directly back into our amazing shows and our summer camp.

So, what does it take to put on a show? Typically, we get the venue sponsored which means that there are no direct venue costs. However, sometimes we do have to pay for a space, such as Minglewood, and sometimes we pay a reduced fee, like we did at Overton Park. Venue costs can range anywhere from $0 to $1500.

Next, we pay for a sound technician so that our bands, whom we also pay, sound awesome. Bands and sound can range from $1250-$2000 per show.

Since we have yet to find a beer sponsor, we also purchase beer for every show. Typically we get four "good" kegs of Fat Tire or Yeungling and a couple of "less good" kegs of PBR. This costs us about $600-$700.

Finally, depending on the venue, we may also be required to purchased event insurance ($300), secure a beer permit ($100), or rent a stage ($300).

It's a lot of money, right?

So how do we manage to only ask for a $5 donation per adult AND supply everyone with music from three bands, free beer, and free food?

We heavily rely on volunteers to help us out at the shows, sponsors like Central BBQ and Whole Foods to donate food to lure you in, the occasional other sponsors who give us money in exchange for promoting their businesses (we are pretty picky about these!), t-shirt sales, tips, and the occasional kind soul who slips a little extra cash in at the door or sends us a donation via Paypal (see that button up top?).

We, and by we I mean the board members--all nine of us, who are also volunteering our time--try to provide the best service and value to families that we possibly can. Over the last six years we have grown immensely, and we have never once asked for more than the $5 donation.

Assuming things keep going as they have, hopefully we never will have to raise our suggested donation or reduce the amount of awesome that we provide.

So please, keep this in mind when you come to our shows, and tell your friends. The suggested donation isn't just for food or beer, so please don't ignore the suggestion just because you don't plan to eat or drink. The $5 is for the entire experience and the promise of providing future experiences for years to come.

And finally, when one of our awesome volunteers offers to fill your 16 ounce CBBQ cup with free beer, please don't turn your nose up at whatever kind of free beer it is. If it turns out you don't like the kind of beer we purchased, pleeease don't dump it out right in front of us. That just hurts our feelings.

Ok, that's all. Feel free to comment here or send us an email (memphisrocknromp@gmail.com) if you have questions or suggestions, want to volunteer, sponsor a show, or just say hi. Thanks for reading!

November 3rd Recap

On Saturday, we rocked for the first time in Overton Park. No, not the Shell, the park proper. It was awesome! A big thanks to the Overton Park Conservancy for inviting us, and even sprucing up the restrooms just in time! We definitely want to add this spot as a regular venue.

The kids loved having room to roam. There was lots of ball throwing, a full blown kickball game, lots of playground fun, and relaxing by the lake.

I absolutely don't think we could have asked for better weather. It started off beautiful and sunny, then got just a little cooler with some cloud cover, and finally waited to start raining the minute we were done. Honestly, it's probably good it started raining, otherwise we may have never left!

Per usual, we had delicious 'cue from Central BBQ, snacks from Whole Foods, and as a special treat, pizza from the Trolley Stop Market. And let's not forget the free beer!

First up, we had Allied Standard. Loved the sound of these guys-- cool harmonies, and easy to be entranced by their songs.

Then all the way from Nashville, The Nobility. Also very cool harmonies, and really intricate power-pop creations. Lots of Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles influence, but also fresh-sounding. Great stuff.

I should pause to point out that we love our stage! It's from Memphis Sound Lab, and is perfect for outdoor venues with no stage.

The Nobility had one super fan, who couldn't stop dancing. I could have watched her all day. She had serious moves!

Last up was Kitchens & Bathrooms. These guys are vets of the Memphis music scene, and have been spreading their brand of darkly violent death-metal since the 90s. Kidding! Smooth but energetic power-pop.

Saturday really couldn't have been better. Look, it was a total lovefest.

Thanks as always to our sponsors, and also to our volunteers. Without all those folks, RnR wouldn't happen. Check out a full slideshow of photographer Chip Chockley's photos from the day here.

See everyone at the last show of the 2012 season, at Bridges, December 8th!

November 3rd Rock-n-Romp

Join us in Overton Park for a lovely afternoon of music. We'll be set up next to the parking lot by Rainbow Lake, across from Overton Bark.

We have The Nobility coming from Nashville as well as two local bands--Allied Standard and Kitchens & Bathrooms--on the bill. Per usual, Central BBQ and Whole Foods will be providing free food and snacks. As a bonus, Trolley Stop Market will also be sending over some pizzas!

There will also be free beer for the adults. Please bring your ID since we will be on City property. We also ask that you not leave the premises with any beer.

We ask that all adults donate $5 at the door; kids are free. Adults MUST be accompanied by children. Bring a blanket or a chair, a snack to share, and ear plugs for your little ones.

Tell your friends!

September 29th Show Recap

Saturday was an awesome day for a Rock-n-Romp, and the Mid South Maze is one of our favorite places to romp. There's always a ton of stuff for the kids to go along with the rocking-- a really amazing corn maze, a corn cannon shooter, and everyone's fav-- the jumping pillow.

Combine that with three great musical acts and all of you folks who came out, and it was a great Rock-n-Romp!

First up was Chris Milam. This guy had a sweet, smooth voice, and was pretty popular with the ladies.

Next up was The Merry Mobile. Obviously, they haven't come up with an instrument that Paul Taylor can't dominate. We've all seen him rock the bass and the drums in past bands, but here he's playing the guitar like it's what he was meant to play all along. Combine that with his crazy-tight rhythm section and it was a really fresh, rock/jazz/funk explosion.

Last up was The Star Killers, one of the best teen bands we've heard in a long time. These guys take their craft seriously-- awesome songwriting maturity for their age. Loved them.

Thanks to all three acts-- this was really a stellar lineup-- and thanks to the Maze folks for having us. Thanks as always to our two longest sponsors, Central BBQ and Whole Foods. They are both important participants of the Memphis community, and they make our shows a better place to be. Also thanks to our volunteers who help us pull it all off. You guys rule!

To see a slideshow of more photos from the day by RnR photographer Chip Chockley, click here.

Next show is November 3rd at Overton Park. Details to come!

September 29th Rock-n-Romp

Come Rock-n-Romp with us at the Mid-South Maze on September 29th from 2-5pm. We'll have Star Killers, The Merry Mobile, and Chris Milam playing. $5 Adults/kids free. Adults MUST be accompanied by children.

As always bring a blanket or a chair, a snack to share, and earplugs for the little ones. There will be free beer, Central BBQ and snacks from Whole Foods. (Please be considerate of others when partaking of the free food. We do run out!)

The Mid-South Maze will give the following discounts: Maze admission-$4/adult and $2/kid, 5 and under free. The Jumping Pillow will be $2/person and you can jump all you want. Identify yourself as a Rock-n-Romper when paying and they will give you the appropriate discount.

The Maze takes about an hour, so we ask that you come early or stay late. The Jumping Pillow is adjacent to the bands, so kids can enjoy it during the show. (It is supervised.)

We look forward to seeing you!

For directions, click here.

8-19-12 Minglewood Show Recap

This past Sunday, the weather was absolutely beautiful. We normally schedule our dead-of-summer show indoors because of the heat-- who would've expected temps in the 80s in August in Memphis?

Didn't matter. We still got our rock and our romp on, and it was awesome.

Our long-time sponsor, Whole Foods, stepped it up a notch by providing a staffed spread of free, fresh and healthy goodness:

YoLo graciously provided free frozen yogurt in the parking lot from their swank Airstream:

First up was Darien Clea. You ever walk up to a live act and you're mesmerized by the voice you're hearing? It happened at this show. What a beautiful sound! I hear she's working on a new record-can't wait to hear more from this woman.

Next up was the trance/electronic emo sound of Fast Planet. These guys were fun to watch, and the aural landscapes were hypnotic.

This dude loved it all so much he wanted us all to see his belly:

As an intermission, we had a cool puppet show by Muley the Mule:

This guy was very entertained:

Last up was Tiger High. One of the best bands in Memphis right now. Amazingly catchy, intelligent power pop, played with ferocity. The Vest brothers have rocked RnR before with other projects, but it was so good to finally hear Tiger High at a RnR!

Thanks to the folks at Minglewood Hall for hosting us again. Thanks as always to our two longest sponsors, Central BBQ and Whole Foods. They really make our shows better. And special thanks to the Mike Curb Institute for sponsoring this show. All of these folks help us keep RnR as the best afternoon of entertainment you can get in town for $5.

Also thanks to our volunteers who help us pull all off. You guys rule!

See a slideshow of all the photos from this show by staff photog Chip Chockley by clicking here.

Next show is September 29th at the Mid-South Corn Maze-- always a great venue for us.  Seeya then!

Sunday, August 19th Rock-n-Romp

Join us at Minglewood Hall SUNDAY, August 19th, for a great afternoon of music from 2-5pm. Darien Clea, Fast Planet, and Tiger High will be rocking our faces off and Muley the Mule has a special puppet show for the kids.

As always we will have Central BBQ, snacks from Whole Foods and beer for the adults. As a special treat, YoLo is giving out frozen yogurt! Please bring a blanket, a chair, and a SNACK to SHARE.

Everything is FREE with the $5 donation requested of adults only. Adults must be accompanied by children.

We look forward to seeing you!

Upcoming shows

For those of you planning ahead, don't forget our upcoming shows!

August 19 (Sunday), Minglewood, 2-5pm

September 29, Mid-South Corn Maze, 2-5pm

November 3, Overton Park, 2-5pm

December 8, Bridges, 2-5pm

In the news

Kids rockin' at musical camp
Youngsters write, play, sing on Hi-Tone stage

By Jody Callahan
Monday, June 18, 2012

The merchandise table held the first clue that this wasn't your typical rock show: They were selling baby clothes.

Then the first band took the stage, and there was the second clue: None of the performers was even out of middle school yet.

This was Rock 'N' Romp Camp, the culmination of a weeklong immersion in performing music for 50 area kids.

Sunday afternoon at Midtown's Hi-Tone Cafe, eight bands filled with young boys and girls got on stage to perform one song each.

They'd spent each morning of the previous week learning the rudiments of singing and playing guitar, bass, keyboards and drums.

In the afternoon, they grouped into bands to write and rehearse the songs they would perform.

And they clearly had a terrific time doing it, if the band names were anything to go by: Elvis Pretzels, Disco Dancing Demons and The Flamin' Skullz.

Or the song titles: "Woman of Mystery," "Metalhed" and "Complete Darkness."

Or the lyrics, like these from the Skullz: "I was found in the alley/Born in a trash can/I live alone/My best friend is the trash man."

"I learned how to play two bass lines in different songs," said 9-year-old Lucy Davis, singer in the Demons. "I learned to play the bass lines in 'Green Onions' and 'Eye of the Tiger.'"

This is the second year of rock camp, sponsored by the local Rock 'N' Romp group. Last year, 45 kids took part. This year, 100 kids from first through eighth grades signed up, necessitating two different weeks of camp.

Tuition for each kid was $200, which was used, in part, to pay local musicians to staff the camp.

The hope is that the kids will have enough fun that they'll keep playing and singing, maybe even forming their own bands in the years to come.

"The kids get a chance to play everything in a rock band," organizer Kate Crowder said. "We saw a giant increase in kids taking drum lessons or guitar lessons from these musicians. And some bands stayed together all year and practiced."

After the performances, organizers and parents cheered mightily as most of the kids walked off the stage with smiles.

Except Janie Matthews, keyboardist in the Elvis Pretzels (she also gave them their name), who was perhaps taking the performance a bit too seriously.

"It was just really awful. I don't know what happened. When I played the ending, no one stopped," the 10-year-old said, still hiding her face several minutes later. "We failed but we tried."

Then there was this from 7-year-old Ruby Elliotte, who rocked a "Hello Kitty" porkpie hat while playing keyboards in the Skullz.

What was the best part of your show, Ruby?

"My keyboard solo."

-- Jody Callahan: (901) 529-6531

May 19th Recap

Thanks to Rhodes College for hosting us on Saturday. I don't think we could have asked for a more lovely locale. We'd also like to thank the weather gods for the sunshine!




Give 365 was our show sponsor. We were really proud to partner with Give 365 because of all the great things its members are making possible in our community. The idea is simple. You give $365 – a dollar a day – to make our community better. You pool those daily dollars with others. Then you decide together which organizations you want to receive the money. That’s GiVE 365 in a nutshell. You can join today!



Per usual we had free barbeque and free snacks thanks to our season sponsors, Central BBQ and Whole Foods. We love our sponsors!




And for the first time ever, there was not a huge line for beer. What! We developed a new system using pitchers and it was most effective! We also had tons of volunteers which is always awesome.



As an added bonus, the Memphis Arts Collective came out and led a craft for the kids. They did it out of the kindness of their hearts because they are cool like that.



Once the kids were done with their masterpieces it was like early Father's Day!



The first band to play was Thunderpunch, which as you can see, is comprised of six awesome middle school girls. They were a little rough around the edges but cute as all get out. Give it a few more months and they'll be asked to play school dances all over town.





Second we had The Lion's Science. They were a cosmic blend of 60's pop and 70's psychedelia and fit in perfectly on the bill. Their showmanship and song craft were unique, inspiring and full of fun hooks.



Last but not least was Kaleidophonix. They took Rock-n-Romp to another level by combining crazy masks, hip hop beats and keytars. The kids just loved this fun and interactive trio.







It was another amazing afternoon of music and fun times. Thanks to all 600 of you who came out and made it possible!



Mark your calendars for our next show August 19 (SUNDAY!) at Minglewood Hall from 2-5pm. That's right, no romps in June or July. However, we are doing two weeks of Rock-n-Romp Camp in June. Each week will end with a showcase, and you are all invited to attend. (June 9th at Rozelle Elementary and June 17th at the Hi-Tone.) Also, we still have a few spots for the second week (June 11-15) if you want to sign your kids up! (Click here for more info and the application.)

To see the rest of Saturday's pictures by staff photographer, Chip Chockley, click here. Chip had to leave early, so our awesome volunteer, Allen Elliotte, took pictures too. To see the rest of his photos, click here. Finally, to add your photos to our Flickr pool, click here!